Dearly departed

Lawyers at one departure-prone US firm were hardly sobbing into their briefs after recently hearing that one rather, er, individualistic partner was switching horses mid-stream to join a rival practice.

The Diary hears how said partner was famed for his ability to reduce associates to tears and eventually drive them from the firm altogether - as many as eight or nine in a calendar year, so the story goes.

Former colleagues tell the (perhaps apocryphal) tale of one hapless associate who - despite suffering from sleep deprivation after working with the partner on a series of high-pressure deals - was subsequently barely able to sleep at all thanks to recurring nightmares about the partner shouting at him.

Although the partner was a top biller, his impact on profitability was limited when recruitment fees for replacement associates were taken into account - something colleagues at his new firm may wish to consider when bonus time comes around.